Israel is nearing the end of the war in Gaza, Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech at the opening of the new Knesset Museum in Jerusalem, the site where the parliament operated from 1950 to 1966.

“Precisely on these days, when great victories are being won against those who came to destroy us, when we are at the end of the campaign and working to defeat the remnants of the Iranian axis and free all our hostages, we are celebrating here our existence and our independence in the heart of our eternal capital, Jerusalem, Netanyahu said.

The Israeli prime minister came under harsh criticism earlier today from the Hostage Families Forum after comments he made last night referring to the release of 20 living hostages in Gaza, seemingly ignoring those held captive and declared dead by Israel.